$20 AA light

Basically, I'm looking for something to replace my Maglight LED. It needs to accept AAs (I would prefer a 2 AA size) and the main priority is BRIGHT - it won't endure too much punishment, so build quality is nice but not extremely important. Cost is the other priority - it needs to be below $25 shipped. Runtime isn't that important, anything that can maintain 80%+ output for over an hour is fine. I was looking at the WF-606a, but the light seems to be getting old and outdated so any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help

I think the choice is pretty simple for your price range. Stay away from ultrafire if you ask me, every day I see another thread about one of those crapping out for no reason. Go to shiningbeam.com and get a romisen rc-n3 q5. It comes in either a single mode or dual mode and can take AA's or 123's. The price is 23.95 or 24.75 plus shipping will run you maybe two dollars over your budget.

Himm, that looks pretty good. I take it the two mode has the exact same high output\runtime etc. etc.?

Step 1) Throw all your money into a bundle
Step 2) Send it over to Shiningbeam with a note asking for an RC-N3 II
Step 3) Wait a few days
Step 4) Enjoy immensively:twothumbs

joshconsulting said:

Himm, that looks pretty good. I take it the two mode has the exact same high output\runtime etc. etc.?

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I think the 1 mode might actually be brighter but have less runtime, not positive though.

I think sol-leks is right. I remember Brian from shiningbeam saying the single mode is a little brighter. Mine (single mode) is very bright with an RCR123, and the build quality is nothing to complain about either.

Yea, that's what I assumed - the single mode claims to be 40% brighter then standard, while the dual is only 33%. To be honest, I'll take the 7% brightness over 2 stage any day. Any idea on how regulated the output is (i.e. what % of brightness over the 1.5h runtime can I expect)?

and to me 30% increase starts to be visible increase in normal use.

i rather take lower mode for things that need to be looked close up. too bright + too close = cant see it.

and i do like extended runtime that i get from lower modes. rarely i need full blast of my led lights.

+1 shingbeam and rc-n3. you won't be sorry.

The 2 mode version was tested by Selfbuilt, along with other 2-AA lights, here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/214890
The review has a runtime graph and beamshots. It shows 2 hrs 50 min to 50% on high. The single mode could be a bit shorter runtime, but still this should give you an idea.

Himm... To be honest, I'm having a hard time picking between 1 and 2 stage. Any other thoughts? That 7% difference doesn't seem like much, and the close up would be nice for indoor work.

Personally, I would definitely take the 2 mode. But a great light is still a great light. Low mode for indoors High Mode for outdoors. Plus its always nice to be able to increase your runtime if you foresee using a light for a longtime.

7% output is effectively nothing, don't let that factor in if you could use 2 modes.

According to Bryan the one mode is brighter......the N3 is a good choice and Romisen does make a good budget light indeed.

alfreddajero said:

According to Bryan the one mode is brighter......the N3 is a good choice and Romisen does make a good budget light indeed.

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Any idea exactly how much brighter? If it's only 7% I'll go for the 2 stage, but I'd like to know for sure. Sorry about being a stickler for the details :thumbsdow

There is a bunch of lights on DX sub $20. It seems the most popular one is the Akoray K-106, price is reasonably, programmable and bright. The reviews on CPF seems to give it good praise.

I have recently purchased the Ultrafire Stainless steel C3, for under $15. It has 5 modes, good runtime and built like a tank. The new one is built nicely and the pieces join together well, has a Q5, glow in the dark o-ring and button, and a reasonably good low low.

There is also a memory for the last mode, which I find useful. The strobe and SoS mode is abit annoying when changing modes, wish it was hidden, so it doesn't get activated by accident.

Now that i can't tell you since i dont own one......i was planning on getting one when bryan told me that the brightness is a step down from the single mode. One would think that it would be about the same output as the single mode but its not, so thats why i did'nt get one.

To be honest, I will NEVER touch any mode but beam and 6 modes is a drawback. That being said, it's a little cheaper and I wouldn't mind the 1x AA - but it seems to have regulator and build quality problems, as well as being slightly less bright. The Ultrafire isn't AA, which is a strict requirement.

Anyone have any hard numbers on the difference between the single and the dual? If it's 5-10%, I'll probably go with the single.

This is the one i'm referring to, which is an AA light.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26122

You don't have to use the other modes if you simply switch on and then off.

A long time ago it was difficult to find a multi-mode light, these days it's difficult to find a single mode light!,

Anyway, i think it's better to have a multi-mode one, because you use only the right amount of light you require to perform the task, so you don't waste energy and save on replacing batteries. The led are so much better than a few years ago, you don't need to drive the led as hard to get decent output. Even a low mode on modern day led lights running on a single AA could be brighter than your 2-D cell incan lights.

Some single AA lights have a 2-AA tube extension. Depending on the configuration, it could mean roughly twice the output or twice the runtime.